The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-20
GRANT IN PEACE.


The close or Grant - presloentlal caEeol c'i@AseN
remarkable comment from the great French
statesman Theirs. who was at that time, though
no longer President, perhaps the most Important
parsonage in France; almost controlling parties
in his own country and watching with an acute
and intelligent interest the great political crisis
on this side the sea. General Sickles was then
residing in Paris and in the habit Of meeting the
ex- President frequently. To him Theirs de- |
clared that no country in Europe could have |
passed through the situation which agitated |
America without serious disturbance of the |
State He thought it possible that France, or
Germany, or England might have weathered
storms equal to those of our war Of the Rebel
lion, and even have passed through the difficult
ties of the reconstruction period, but he knew
of no country that could have withstood the
dangers of disputed election, when the parties
were so nearly matched, and so soon after civil
war. Theirs did not hesitate to attribute much
of the good fortune of the United States in this
emergency to the wisdom, and coura &c, and
moderation of Grant
have, indeed recently heard it doubted
whether General Grants course at this crisis had
pose that the head of the state had acted with
tiality, had instigated on one hand or aroused on
the other the passions of either party, each only
waiting to be started into a blaze; let it be sup
posed that Buchanan or johnson had held the
reins, or any one of half dozen prominent men
on either side-Sumner, or Wade, or Stanton, or
Toombs-how easily the horrors Of civil war
might have been brought home-ths time to the
North. The quarrel then would have been not
between two different sections of the Republic
but between enemies in every city, and street.
and household.
It is quite as much by what he lett undore in
civil affairs as by what he did that Grant is to
be judged. His singular power of restraint,
backed by his acknowledged energy and force,
was of enormous advantage to the country at
such times as those in which he performed the
duties of the executive. And though his presi-
Dental career is harshlv criticised by many who
admire his military ability, though he was sup
ported and sometimes seemed to be surrounded
by some whose association conferred neither
honor on himself nor benefit on the country;
though there were acts in his administration
which no publicly admitted were blunders, his
tory will be far from recording his political ca
reer as failure.
diately after a convulsion, of the greatest in
history, but after the situation had been compli-
Gated to the very verge of revolution by the
quarrel between two coordinate branches of
the government. after the disruption Of a party,
the impeachment and trial of President, the
revival of much of the bitterness of the war
No task could be more difficult or delicate than
his at such a juncture, and it can at least be
said that after eight years of power he handed
over to his successor the government of q coun-
try so far pacifed and reconciled that even the
awful shane of disputed election had been ap-
peased The States were all restored to the Union
and reconstruction whatever its merits or demer-
its, was accomplished That measure was not in
itiated by Grant, all its provisions or re-
suits those which he would have recommended
or desired, but Congress laid down the law and
General Grant, as President, executed it. He
performed a task during the twelve years of his
| civil career-for, in reality, this began with
| Johnsons accession to powerfully equal in i'm
portance to whatever he achieved in war. A
man with less sense and patriotism, more am
! bition. might, in his position, and with his i'm
! mense popularity, have undone much that he
| had accomplished in tie war But Grants self
| abnegation was fully equal to Washington's at
| the close of the Revolution.
| 1t is true no crown ever offered him and
| the country would certainly have hurled him
! into insignifcance or worse had he attempted to
| seize one; but there were thousand opportuni-
| ties to increase his prerogative and confirm his
power which he steadily refused. All who knew
| him closely at the times when temptation might
| have been strong with other men will assuredly
testify that the thought of ACKNOWLEDGMENT
was always furthest from his mind. He had.
| indeed an apparent lack of ambition and even
| OF aspiration, that amounted almost to indiffer-
| ence; singular moderation running through his
| whole character. which some considered stolidi
ty. but which tempered what without it would
| b ave been harsher qualities and produced all
the results of wisdom. patience, Judgment. and
even farsighted patriotism. He saw even fur
ther than his political friends the possibilities
that told in his own favor and put them away
Shortly after the close of the war was pres
| ent when Charles Sumner proposed to him .ha
painting should be placed at the Capitol t.
represent the surrender of Lee; but Grant de
clared that he was unwilling that any com
memoratlon OF the defeat and disaster of ons
section of the country should be perpetnated a
the Capitol. Again. a few days before his frs
inauguration, Mr.. Blaine then Speaker of thu
House OF Representatives. formally suggested
that Congress should allow Grant leave Of all
sence from the army for four years. so that a
the expiration OF his presidential term he could
resume his place as genera-in chief-with tn,
rank and position created especially for him
But Grant replied that he could not sleen a
night if he kept Sherman and Sheridan and al
the other officers lower down out of the promo
ton which his retention of Office would rende,
impossible to each OF them. He declared tina
they had won their promotion as rightfully a.
he had his, and he gave up his rank and appoint
ed Sherman in his own stead the day after b.
was inaugurated.
People have forgotten his popularity after th
close Of the war, but at that time almost anv
thing that could have been proposed to homo
him would have been approved, and it was hi
very unselfishness, his purity in public matter
that afterward made his private misfortune
possible
But during the last years of his presidenc,
the reacson that comes so inevitably to tn
most fortunate of men, almost overwhalma,
him. Political friends became enemies. priyat
and personal ones used their connection wit,